Reality
by carsonfreelancer
Summary: Sequel to the fic DREAMS.  John and Teyla are together, but now they along with all others on Atlantis will find themselves being forced to face some of life's harshest facts of reality.  ShepTeyla fic.


**The Find**

It had seemed like it had been forever since John Sheppard had been on a mission off world. He and his newly wedded wife Teyla had spent the past few days on the mainland so even being back in Atlantis seemed new. Everyday something in this city changed and if you were gone for more than a week, well, you definitely had a lot of catching up to do.

The seven chevrons lit up as the gate 'whooshed' open creating yet another path to some unknown world, a place that no human from Earth had never seen before up until this point, a new whirlwind of possible adventure, maybe even danger. Yep, business as usual, John thought to himself as he gestured to his other team mates who were in front of him to take the lead.

"Hey, Colonel, remember this is reconnaissance only. Nothing more. And if Rodney finds something he wants to bring back, do remember to radio in first," Elizabeth said warningly, half joking.

"Yes mother," John quipped back a clever smirk coming over his face and he prepared to step through the gate.

John laughed a little every time he tried to picture the chaos Rodney and Zelenka had caused when they tried to bring back a plant while on their last mission. But don't get him wrong, the final product thanks to this plant was an incredible find, but still, there was quite a "character" crisis to be dealt with as a payment for this find.

As John emerged on the other side of the stargate he took a deep breath of the fresh, cool air. "Anything odd I should know about here Rodney? Any strange energy waves or peculiar life signs appearing?" John asked in a somewhat sarcastic tone as he made his way toward Ronan who was, as usual, scanning the perimeter. "Nothing?"

"Nothing," Ronan replied, taking his sharp eye off the tree line, turning his attention to John.

"Great. So Rodney, hows about tho…"

John was cut off by Rodney before he could even finish asking. "I'm picking up some energy readings a couple miles away," Rodney said, "Doesn't seem to be as powerful as a ZPM, but definitely something similar."

"Sounds promising, let's check it out. I'll take the lead, Ronan, take the rear."

After walking for just over an hour, the three of them had finally arrived at where Rodney had said the energy readings were coming from, but still, there was no sign of anything other than trees. Lots and lots of trees.

"Hey McKay, are you sure we're in the right spot?" Ronan asked impatiently.

"Yes, yes, positive," Rodney replied seeming distracted as he tried to narrow down a particular area where the reading were from.

"Hey guys, I think I might have found something," John called out as bent down, brushing layers of moss off of the base of an enormous tree.

Both Rodney and Ronan came rushing over. "Yes, this is definitely it," Rodney said as he too bent down then started scanning the devices John had just finished brushing off.

"Correct me if I'm wrong here Rodney, but do these things not look like they have a touch of Asguard worked into them?" John asked as he continued to study these strange devices with his eyes. On the base of this tree were three white, oval stones built into the base of this tree. Each has writings on them which seemed alarmingly similar to the Asguard writings, but still, there was something a little different about them.

"Yes… they do look Asguard, but these writings… something's off about them. Let me try something," he said, reaching out, beginning to touch each stone.

"Rodney maybe we should-" But John was cut off before he could finish his thought. The three of them had been beamed into was seemed to be a laboratory of some sort. "Wait." John said finishing his thought and letting out a frustrated sigh. "What did Elizabeth tell you about touching things before you knew what they were?" John asked rhetorically.

"Yes, yes, but look at what we ended up discovering when I found that plant on M56…" Rodney began.

"Don't you mean you _and_ Zelenka?"

"Yes, of course… but really, I think I know what I'm doing when I start poking around alien technology and plant life _Colonel_," Rodney defended impatiently.

"Rodney do you seriously remember who you're talking to?" John asked in an exasperated voice.

"Ya McKay, John here was after all one of the main victims of your last experiment gone wrong," Ronan said stepping in.

"Yes, well that was different," Rodney said. "Besides if it hadn't been for that whole… _detour_ in the experiment me and Zelenka were running, we never would have found such an incredibly useful piece of technology in a plant that can allow us to…" Once again Rodney was cut off.

John had begun walking around the lab and as soon as he crossed into what seemed to be the threshold of the entrance the entire place lit up. "Okay…" John said unsurely, "maybe this isn't an Asguard lab," he said as the three of them noticed that all of the writings throughout the lab had just quickly changed into Ancient.

"Still doesn't look Ancient to me," Ronan said as he cautiously scanned the lab for any kind of immediate threats.

Rodney had turned to the small tablet that was next to where they had been beamed in. When they had entered, it had the writings that were similar to Asguard on it, but like everything else in the lab, had now been changed to Ancient. His eyes lit up as he quickly translated his way through the text. "It's a greeting," he said.

"A greeting?" Ronan questioned.

"Yes. A greeting," Rodney snapped back impatiently.

"Well what does it say?" John asked, now joining Rodney at the tablet that now had illuminated writings on it.

"If I'm reading this right, and I'm sure that I am, we're in one of the outposts created by the four races."

"Four races?" Ronan asked curiously.

"Yes, yes, yes… the Knox, the Asguard, the Furlings and of course…"

"… and the Ancients," John finished.

"So that would be why everything powered up and changed as soon as Sheppard walked through the doorway then I suppose?" Ronan asked.

"Seems so," Rodney said absent mindedly as he continued to read through the writings.

"Any mention of what's here?" John asked as he walked back out into the rest of the lab, beginning to examine some of the control panels and screens which were now similar to the Ancient ones on Atlantis. "Anything useful we may be able to use against the Wraith?"

"Or Replicators?" Ronan added.

"Hmmm… not quite but there is definitely more to this lab then just this room. It seems that this is a full sized lab or facility."

"Just how big are we talking here Rodney? Wal-Mart big, or Atlantis big?" John asked sounding increasingly interested.

"Atlantis big…" Rodney said in awe as he now stared at a hologram of what seemed to be the layout of the facility. It was amazing. The four greatest races to ever inhabit the universe had come together and built an advanced facility. The secrets this place could contain were astronomical.

"Wow…" John said as he and Ronan saw the image before them. "Now they only question is, why hasn't anyone else stumbled upon this place before?"

**TBC**

Please, please, _please_ review. I've double posted this chapter. I've posted it once here in _DREAMS_, but I've also posted it in a new fic called _Reality_.

The next chapters will only be posted in _Reality_ just so you know.

Thank you so, so much for reading and I promise the next chapter will be up _very_ soon.


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